The five municipal councils connected with the proposed merger of Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Waterloo North Hydro all approved a memorandum of understanding earlier this week.
This will allow the utility merger to move to the next stage of the process which will see online public information sessions held by the two hydro companies on Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Those that wish to provide feedback can do so on a website (connectinglocalpower.ca) that the companies created ahead of the merger.
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The councils for the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, as well as the townships of Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich, are expected to make a decision on the merger in December.
Combining the two utilities would create the seventh-largest utility in Ontario by the number of customers.
If approved by all municipal councils, the merger applications will then be submitted to the Ontario Energy Board for regulatory approval, which is expected in the third quarter of 2022.
The new company would begin operations soon after.
Energy Plus, which serves Cambridge and North Dumfries, is also in the midst of a proposed merger with Brantford Hydro.
The councils approved the merger back in August.
The province is likely to approve the mergers as it has done so several times in other areas, believing that the mergers will lower hydro costs for consumers.
— with files from Global News’ Matt Carty
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